Month: November 2017

Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5

Early Christian teachers from Jerusalem, attempting to undo Paul’s message of salvation by faith alone, were major trouble makers for the early church. They believed that all new believers must accept and adhere to Jewish laws. They took letters of introduction/commendation from the church authorities when they traveled or moved from town to town. One of the arguments these ‘leaders’ raised was, “Who is Paul?” for Paul had no such letter recognition.

Paul’s response is that the Cross’s work of grace is written on our hearts, a story easily read in our countenance and actions. The law written on stone and tablet, held people to condemnation, the law of love is a living testimony to the presence of the Holy Spirit transforming each of us into the image of Christ.

Men set standards for men, often exploitive or too lofty to attain, removing Godliness as the desired outcome. Beware of people that ask more of you than God does. True spiritual freedom from the bondage of sin is found in the secret Paul knew. We answer to God and God alone. Everything else will take care of itself because EVERYTHING we need is found in Him.

Love,

Gretchen

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. Romans 5:5

God has done what He said He would do. He has kept His promises, He dealt with sin once and for all. He gave is Son, not one person to die so another could live, (this would be a logical equality of sorts) but One man to GIVE His life so that ALL may live.

Mankind has a disease, sin. This carnal nature is universal and if unchecked, cuts us off from God and condemns us to death. The death and resurrection of Jesus has given man justification, the ability to be found ‘Not Guilty’ of our sins.

All because God loves us and continues to extend His boundless love through grace and mercy and the power of the Holy Spirit, we have life, peace, and HOPE.

Happy Thursday,

Gretchen

Be merciful to those who doubt; Jude 23

Although he wrote this letter when he was very old, Jude is the younger brother of Jesus and their brother James.  He expresses in the early verses of this short letter that he wanted to write out of Christian fellowship, but he learned of teachers with very secular immorality coming to a place of spiritual leadership and using it to abuse and corrupt.  Jude’s intention was to build resistance to those who taught falsehoods and strengthen the ethics of those who love and believe.

Jude himself did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God during His earthly ministry. He was witness to Jesus’ earthly works and still did not follow! It was the resurrection that brought about his faith. He knew doubt, but he also knew the glory, wonder and transformation of grace and mercy.

We are called to extend Christ like behavior to a world in need of salvation. Your faith can be someone’s answer to prayer in overcoming doubt, accessing the Power of the Holy Spirit and/or finding grace and mercy. What an amazing calling for each of us.

Have a great Wednesday

Gretchen

 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? John 14:2

John was one of Jesus’ closest friends. He and Peter were recognized as the leaders of the twelve disciples. His gospel focus was Jesus’ deity, not the miracles He did, but the things He said about His Father and His eternal Home.

Jesus has celebrated His final Passover meal on earth.  He has shared His fate with His friends. They are confused, frightened and humanly driven to redirect destiny. God knows best, but it takes a lot of faith to rest easy!  Chapter 14 is the comfort chapter.  Jesus Himself gently tells that intimate circle, “Don’t be troubled. Stay the course.”  The questions continue on and on…..Jesus meets each fear with Good News!

This passage is one of the most beloved in the entire Bible and often quoted as those we love walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Jesus, Son of man, the carpenter that worked beside His earthly father building homes, is the Master Builder, Son of God that is leaving to build a perfect place in Heaven for those who believe and follow.

These are Jesus’ words. He has a place ready, custom designed for those He chose to die for.  What makes this home so wonderful? It is built by love.

Have a lovely day,

Gretchen

And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. Matthew 18:13

This verse is not about the security of ninety nine obedient sheep that do not need supervision. (FYI, sheep forever need guidance and oversight.) It IS about the value of the one lost sheep and the extreme measures the shepherd is willing to extend to assure the safety and salvation of the lowly beast that chose to drift into dangerous territory and became vulnerable to the pitfalls of the world.

I have lost things of trivial significance. When I stumble across them I think, “Oh! I’ve been looking for that.” and passively place the item back where I can find it if needed. However, when things of great value are lost, I want world stop until the object is found. Retrieval is the highest priority. I am truly joyous when the lost is found and returned to its honored place. The worth I assign the lost, then found, determines the intensity of my search and celebration.

The world’s standards are not the ways of Heaven. On earth it’s every man for himself. ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, the strong help the weak. It is our mission, our calling. The lost, stuck, abandoned and hopeless won’t find their way if we don’t leave our safety, go find them and bring them home. Jesus has shown us how much they matter to Him. Now we must act.

Love,

Gretchen

Last Girl Laughing

I recently asked one of my siblings what the most hilarious events of her childhood were. I had no idea I was the leading lady in our family’s comedy reel. My antics were laughable, but I never meant for them to be. I do NOT laugh at myself and I am easily offended when others do. However, I envy those easy going folks that gleefully tell of their most embarrassing moments concluding with the biggest belly chuckle in the room. So, today I am turning a new leaf. I am going to tell you one of the most embarrassing few minutes I’ve ever lived. As with all my accounts of days gone by, there is no ‘long story short.” Here it is in all its glory.

My earliest memories are of warm summer days in southeast Iowa with neighbors and friends. My mother grew up in Burlington, a city of mills and factories along the Mississippi River. A few years after she and my father married they returned to a small, nearby farming community to pastor a church. When I was a first grader though, we moved to northwest Arkansas. For the first time in my short life we had to pack suitcases for visits to places I once spent carefree afternoons.

One particular holiday our family of six was staying at my grandparents’ home. All the maternal relatives, aunts, uncles and cousins, had come for the evening to celebrate and fellowship. Wall to wall people filled a very small and noisy space when the time came to settle the kids for the night. Baths began and pajamas were donned. It came my turn to quickly bathe, so of course I did what I was told. (Insert reality filter here.) Behind the closed bathroom door I did as directed, dried, put on my nightgown, opened the medicine cabinet door and put a white substance from a tube onto my dampened toothbrush. No minty foam formed. Instead, bristles began to stick to my teeth. I panicked and grabbed some toilet paper to remove the horrible glue that was now welding my lips to my gums. The paper stuck too. I threw open the bathroom door to a kitchen full of festive adults and gave a panicked scream. All eyes turned. Those who could see me understood my dilemma. Mom took me to the sink and began rinsing and removing Poly-Grip from my mouth. I had put denture cream on my tooth brush. In my defense, no one I lived with used this product. I thought everything in a vanity coming from a tube was meant for dental hygiene.

I knew I had no choice but to seek help when tissue paper adhered to my teeth, but I was MORTIFIED! While mom was cleaning up my mess everyone else was hysterical. With all the ruckus, the cousins came to share in the fun and my humiliation was complete. They were laughing at me and I wanted to disappear.

My sister reminded me I hold one of the top spots in our family’s history of public blunders. Sis loves to put an addendum on this chapter, “At least it wasn’t Preparation H!” She is correct and I am grateful for that small blessing. This story has been told many times over the years and when it begins I leave the room, but shame on me. To withhold laughter at my own faultless mistakes inadvertently holds others to a standard of perfection that is not possible, certainly is not fair and marginalizes the boundless joy God lovingly gives.

Proverbs ends with a section dedicated to a wife of noble character. 31:25 says, “She is clothed with strength and dignity; SHE CAN LAUGH AT THE DAYS TO COME.” Laughter is a treasure, a gift, an art and it can make you strong. Don’t rob yourself of something so completely wondrous!

Love,

Gretchen

 

 

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Micah 5:2

Micah’s prophecy spanned the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Two of them were good, the wickedness of Ahaz was epic. Micah witnessed a corrupt society where the powerful oppressed the marginalized. It was a time of conflict and hostility. God expects kindness, justice and humility. The sins of the people would ultimately lead to destruction, but God would provide a plan of restoration.

One of Micah’s strongest messages was that exile, a consequence of sin, was actually very important to the salvation of the Jewish nation. These people had become incredibly evil, but God would wipe out all their vices, greed, exploitation, dishonesty and sham religious rituals and leave them with nothing but hope. Micah encouraged his hearers to accept their punishment without giving up hope of God’s eventual Glory.

Matthew, the Gospel writer who recorded the nativity story, recognized the birth of Jesus, in a Bethlehem stable, as the fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy. Where the world leaves a path of dysfunction, confusion, and destruction, a tiny baby, the Son of God, would be our peace.

Merry Saturday!

Gretchen

And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:16

Children track dirt, leave marks on the walls and windows, make a lot of senseless noise, peek in every closet and drawer and exhaust their grownups with unending inquiries. They do very little independently, but ask for companionship and love.

People, probably their mothers, were bringing little children to Jesus so that He could lay His hand on them and bless them. The disciples rebuked them, treated them as a distasteful nuisance, but Jesus became indignant and said, “Let the little children come to me.”

In Jewish life women and children had no worth, yet Jesus used childlike humility and faith as the model of correct approach the the Kingdom. Despite gritty fingers, dirty feet and most likely a snotty nose or two, Jesus took the children into His arms and gave them value. My mind tells me there were a few boo boos that needed attention also and as always, Jesus did what He does best, He healed them and those precious lives were forever changed.

The world’s value system is skewed and has no bearing on true worth. If we want to come to Jesus we must come with a heart made innocent by trust and if we desire to be like Jesus, we must see and love what He does, even if soap and water hasn’t touched it for days.

Embracing My Inner Child,

Gretchen

“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17

The Chronicler’s mission is to tell the positive stories of ancient history. One of his favorite themes is that faithfulness brings blessings. This is true and King Jehoshaphat is a wonderful example of a Godly leader and a blessed nation. He sought the LORD in all things and began a program of public instruction that included sending priests on regular circuits with copies of the Law to teach the people.

When Jehoshaphat was informed that a massive army was marching toward him he called the entire nation to fast and pray and he himself inquired of the LORD. In verse 12 Jehoshaphat’s prayer states, “We do not know what to do but our eyes are on You.” What a beautiful, confession of faith! All of Judah, from the eldest to the least, stood before the LORD anxious, and then the Spirit of the LORD came. Through a prophet’s voice the words above are heard.

When tomorrow came Jehoshaphat spoke final words of praise and faith. His appointed worship leaders led, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His love endures forever.” As they sang, the opposing armies began to attack each other. Those seeking war found a fight among themselves and self-destructed.

It isn’t man that needs the last word, but God. Oh how very hard that is to accept but He will fight all the battles you give Him charge over.

Happy Thursday!

Gretchen

He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:12

God made a covenant with Israel when, through Moses, He led them out of Egyptian slavery. A designated place of worship was given to this nation, a Tent, the Tabernacle. God resided with His people, but His people did not have direct access to Him. Once a year the high priest went into the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary, covered in the blood of goats and calves, to make atonement. This was an annual ritual to remind the people of their sins. It was limited and had no power of redemption. The bondage of sin and human nature was never broken.
He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:12

God made a covenant with Israel when, through Moses, He led them out of Egyptian slavery. A designated place of worship was given to this nation, a Tent, the Tabernacle. God resided with His people, but His people did not have direct access to Him. Once a year the high priest went into the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary, covered in the blood of goats and calves, to make atonement. This was an annual ritual to remind the people of their sins. It was limited and had no power of redemption. The bondage of sin and human nature was never broken.

Jesus, the Christ, God’s Son, became the perfect sacrifice. With love He voluntarily gave His life to set all men free from sin’s consequence. Through Jesus’ blood, sin is wiped away. Through His death we all can have eternal life.

Today we title churches The House of God. They are exactly that. They are the representation of God with us in a living, active and powerful way. Those who gather there are the Body of Christ, the community of believers, those who by faith are saved and lay their lives down as a living sacrifice so that others may feel God’s love and find redemption.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday,

Gretchen Jesus, the Christ, God’s Son, became the perfect sacrifice. With love He voluntarily gave His life to set all men free from sin’s consequence. Through Jesus’ blood, sin is wiped away. Through His death we all can have eternal life.

Today we title churches The House of God. They are exactly that. They are the representation of God with us in a living, active and powerful way. Those who gather there are the Body of Christ, the community of believers, those who by faith are saved and lay their lives down as a living sacrifice so that others may feel God’s love and find redemption.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday,

Gretchen